Dear Jonesy
by WybourneObsessed
Summary: Wybie decides to keep a journal of all the things he finds in the woods. Animals,landmarks and...Coraline? What happens when Wybie starts writing imaginary love letters to "Jonesy," and one of them mysteriously finds its way into her life?
1. Forever Not Normal

**A/N: I'm starting a new fanfic. Yup. 'Cause I just love the title. xD**

**"Dear Jonesy." Isn't that a good title? C'mon,you know it is. **

**Why must all my fanfics have such short beginnings?! D: **

**I dunno. Anyway, please R&R!**

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The letter never _meant _to get out. I mean, I just needed to write it down on something. It was never actually supposed to _get _to her though, I swear! But now she found it and read it and…Gah. It was such a dumb idea to begin with.

Um…I think I should explain.

My name's Wybie. Wybie Lovat. I know what you're thinking and let me answer that question for you. It's short for "Wybourne," or as Jonesy calls me: "Why-Were-You-Born."

My life _used _to be normal. _Used _to be. But when I met Jonesy, all that changed. And when I say changed, I mean changed as in getting-attacked-by-a-freaky-metal-hand-that-was-connected-to-a-spider-woman changed. It nearly threw me down the well!

I still have the scars on my hand to prove it. Right hand to be exact.

But now nothing in my life is normal. I get punched by a girl constantly, I have to deal with her weird ramblings about the "Other" world, and worst of all:

I have a crush on her.

Okay, I have to admit that I think love is just…Ew. I never thought about any girl like that before. But now...What can I say? I'm in love with Coraline Jones.

And that's not even the half of it.


	2. Lovestruck

**A/N: Holy crap! Four reviews for a 299 word chapter? Wowz. You must really like this idea. If you loved that chapter, how about a longer one this time? =) **

**Enjoyy.**

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It all started when I decided to keep a journal. Somewhat of a science journal, y'know? To record your findings of things and stuff. But it had a bunch of doodles of animals and things in it, so it wasn't really a science journal.

It was one of those Composition notebooks, with a green-and-black cover and "Wybie" written in that little box. I thought it was pretty cool.

I'd go in the woods, like I always do, and write stuff down. Landmarks that I know, animals that I found by the creek, or…people. One specific person to be exact.

Coraline Jones.

I call her Jonesy. It's like her last name, only with the "y". Anyway, I was walking around the woods one day and I spotted a bob of blue hair. It's easy to spot blue in the woods. So, I followed her for a bit. _Followed. _Not _stalked. _I'm not a stalker, no matter what Jonesy says.

But I did follow her, sneaking and hiding behind one of the many trees that covered the woods. She was…Interesting to watch. One minute she'd be balancing on an old log and the next she'd be examining a frog she had caught.

I know this is gonna sound creepy but…I kinda wrote everything she did down. Don't judge me. I even drew a few doodles of her...I think they were pretty good.

Okay okay, confession time.

I have a crush on Coraline Jones.

I don't know when I developed a crush on her. It just sorta…happened. After the whole "Other World" incident, we became friends. Best friends.

I've honestly never had a…_best _friend before. There was never anyone around to actually _be _my friend. Besides the cat, if that counts. Now though…I have a best friend! It's awkward at times…probably because I don't really know how to _be _a best friend.

Once again, don't judge a book by its cover.

Now that we're friends, I guess I took a liking to her. She _is _really pretty; I have to admit. With her blue hair and her raincoat…Ugh. I can't believe I'm this lovestruck. I never even liked love! It's disgusting! Making out and everything…Ew. E.W.

Jonesy isn't all for love either. She despises Valentine's Day. I do too though…It's just a day created by the candy factories so they can make a few extra bucks selling all those candy hearts and stuff.

But, since I've fallen for a girl with blue hair, I've been writing love letters to her. I never _gave _them to her, I keep 'em in my journal.

Maybe one day I'll man up enough and actually give her one. But for now I'm stuck with writing and keeping them to myself.

Hmm…I think there's a big gap in my explanation of these "love letters…"

I think you should just observe a day in the life of a lovestruck boy named Wybie Lovat.

~*~

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. _

"Ughhh…" I mumbled as I quickly hit the "snooze" button on my alarm. _It's too early…_

I yawned and stretched, swinging my legs over the side of my bed. What happened to the weekend? Why does it have to go by so fast?

_I hate Mondays..._I thought, as I got ready for school. My gray uniform was as boring and depressing as depressing and boring can get. Gray pants with a boring white shirt with an even more boring gray jacket.

The gray matched the weather outside. I glanced out the window as I pulled on my jacket. Gray, gray gray. I sighed. What a Monday.

The call of "Wybourne, breakfast!" snapped me out of my thoughts. I made my way downstairs and into the old, tiled kitchen, where my gramma was cooking at the stove. I sniffed the air; it smelled like bacon and eggs. I licked my lips hungrily and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Morning gram." I said, smiling at her.

"Good morning Wybourne," She smiled back and set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad Monday after all. I grinned and started eating my breakfast, thankful that gramma was a good cook.

When I was halfway through my eggs, I looked at the clock on the wall. I was gonna be late! _Oh man…_ Gulping down my chocolate milk, I ran upstairs and slung my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed my journal from the bedside table, zoomed back downstairs and said goodbye to grandma.

"Love you." I mumbled quickly, lightly kissing her forehead.

"I love you too, Wybourne," Gramma smiled. "Have a good day!"

"Thanks Gramma!" I called as I raced out the front door and quickly down the road.

I finally made it to the bus stop, relieved that Jonesy was still standing there. I couldn't ride my bike to school. It was broken, due to a now very smashed rosebush and a popped tire. I've been meaning to fix it, just been short on time.

Okay, so I may have been spending most of my free time writing those "love letters" to Jonesy, but that doesn't mean anything! I've had a lot of homework too.

"H…Hey Jonesy!" I panted, walking up to said girl, who was standing in her own boring gray school outfit. The only thing that wasn't gray was her gloves…Oh man! I stuck my hands out, and my skeleton gloves weren't covering them

I sighed. I'd never make it to my house and back before the bus came. What a Monday...

Coraline raised an eyebrow at my sudden change in mood. "Hey Why-Were-You-Born," She greeted anyway. "…What's wrong?"

"My gloves! I was kind of in a hurry this morning and…forgot 'em..." I sighed again and adjusted my backpack on my shoulder.

"Oh…That…Sucks." Coraline said awkwardly. Always the awkward. That's the way it usually was. At first.

I shrugged.

"It's okay, I guess. They don't really help my handwriting anyway."

Jonesy snorted. "Your handwriting is horrible Wybie."

"Hey!" I protested. "It's not my fault I'm a lefty." I wrote with my left hand, and that made my handwriting sloppier than what it would've been if I didn't write with it.

"Yeah well, you still need to at least _try _to write neater."

"Neverrr!" I called, and she laughed. I smiled. I could make Jonesy laugh even when she was in a bad mood.

Just then, the long, yellow school bus came screeching up to us, and we hopped on. I sat by the window, and Jonesy sat beside me. To pass the time, I pulled out my journal.

It was just a green-and-black-striped Composition notebook that I write stuff about the woods in. Along with some doodles and lately, some unsent love notes to Jonesy.

I've written at least three by now, and none of 'em have reached her. I'm hoping they never will until I want them to. Grabbing a pencil from my backpack, I opened up the journal and started to write when Coraline wasn't looking.

_Dear Jonesy, _

That's how they always started. _Dear Jonesy. _I've never written _Dear Coraline. _I don't really know why. I just think _dear Jonesy _sounds better. Anyway, here's what I started off with:

_Dear Jonesy, _

_I hate love with all of my being. I swear. I think love is disgusting. But, I just so happen to be in love. Figures._

_And the person I'm in love with is you. _

"What'cha writin' Wybourne?"

I jumped and slammed my journal shut. "N-nothing!" I stammered. "Just some extra notes for science that was due today."

"Hmm…" Jonesy looked suspicious for a moment. "Okay then…" She turned back talk to a blonde girl who was sitting across from us. I think her name was Lindsey.

I couldn't risk Jonesy finding out about my "notes", so I tucked my journal and pencil away and stared out the bus's window. It had started to rain and I watched the little drops of water roll down the window.

School hadn't even started yet and I already wished it was over.


	3. A Day in the Life

**A/N: Wooo! Nine reviews in two chapters. :D**

**I love all you reviewerss!**

**Here's another chapter! **

**...Who do you think would fall in love with who? Coraline with Wybie or Wybie with Coraline? I honestly think Wybie should fall in love with her. :P**

**But, that's just what I think. **

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I must've fallen asleep, 'cause the next thing I know, Jonesy's shaking me awake.

"Wake up Why-Were-You-Born! We're at school." She started to get out of her seat, along with everyone else on the bus. I sighed and slung my black backpack over my shoulder.

_It's gonna be a lonnngg day._

~*~

I sat in Math class. It was already third hour. Thank goodness school goes by fast.

But I wasn't even paying attention to the teacher. Mr. Mitez was droning on about fractions and decimals and... Gah. It was boring. I wish school had two science classes. I prefer science over math any day. Even if I did make something blow up in the lab. That was ONE time.

So, instead of listening to what Mr. Mitez was lecturing about, I decided to finish my love note to Jonesy. I silently pulled out my journal and, opening it up to the right page and grabbing my pencil, I began to write. I made a few changes to it too. You never know, I could actually GIVE this one to Jonesy one day.

_One day..._ I sighed. _Whenever I man up enough to be more than just "That Lovat Kid." Be more than a mildly annoying, Mr. Talks-Too-Much. _

I wondered when that would be. I have to admit, I'm not the most outgoing kid. I'm actually real shy. Really shy. That's mostly why I stutter all the time. If I ever had to do something like talk in front of the class I'd-

"Mr. Lovat, would you mind telling me the answer this math problem?"

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. This is EXACTLY what I was afraid of. "U-um...Sure M-Mr. Mitez..." I nervously glanced at the problem on the board. _Okay...That's KINDA easy..._

I did the mental math. "Five and...Three sevenths." I blurted before looking down to avoid everyone's stare.

Mr. Mitez looked pleased. "Very good Wybie." He complimented, before moving on to more problems. I smiled in relief and glanced back down at my journal, which was on a new, blank page.

I picked up my pencil again and started writing.

_Dear Jonesy..._

~*~

"What's up Why-Were-You-Born? You look kinda down."

I took my eyes off of my lunch- or what was _supposed _to be lunch, and looked up at Jonesy. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Huh? I'm not down. Just a little... tired."

It was true. Last night I had stayed up most of the night, writing in my journal. I must've gone to bed at about eleven P.M. I need to go to sleep early tonight.

"Hm," Jonesy mused, poking at her own food. The lunchroom was a madhouse. And by "madhouse", I literally mean madhouse. Some kid from history was flinging grapes at some other kid with his fork, one group of drama girls were flirting with the popular guys... Oh boy. The clicks at Ashland Academy are ridiculous. That's just my opinion though.

Well, see, me and Jonesy aren't exactly _popular._ At all. My reputation here is being "that weirdo over there who's always by himself." Or "that weird Wybourne."

Before Jonesy came, I wasn't the best at making friends. No one really...accepted me. I was an outcast. A misfit. Now, Jonesy and I are both misfits. Partners in crime.

Kids think Jonesy's gothic or a rocker, with her blue hair. She didn't exactly blend in with all the gray. It's real easy to spot blue in the hallways.

At least she LIKED standing out. I didn't mean to stand out. I just did. Maybe it's 'cause I'm always wearing my black jacket and gloves. Maybe it's 'cause my best friend used to be a cat. I don't know. I don't really care either.

"Embrace your differences, child," Gramma always tells me. "Your differences are what makes you, you."

She's exactly right too. If everyone was the same, who would stand out? The world would be boring.

"So Wybourne..." Jonesy said, leaning forward and resting her chin in her gloved hand. "What're you planning on doing after school?"

"I-I dunno..." I replied, tapping my chin. What WAS I going to do? "Maybe take a nap. It's been a long Monday."

"The day's not even over yet," Jonesy sighed. "I could use a nap."

I nodded. I could go for a nap too. Maybe I could sleep on the bus ride home...As long as Jonesy woke me up when we came to our stop.

Which I was sure she wouldn't do.

~*~

Before I knew it, I was sitting in science class. Man, school may be boring, but at least time passes by fast. I smiled. Science was my favorite class in school. Mostly because you get to dissect a frog or do an experiment. Something fun.

What made it really fun was the fact that Jonesy was my lab partner. Sure, she'd just sit there while I got carried away in molecule diagrams and qualitative observations, but she was my partner. And science was the one class where I could actually show off.

I have to admit, I got the best grades in science. Out of the whole class, too! Straight A's. No wonder why Jonesy calls me a nerd.

Today we just took notes on the Canadian snow-shoe hair. Of course, Jonesy made me take the notes. But after I was finished writing, I started writing in my other journal, the one with the love letters. I couldn't risk Coraline finding out about the notes, so I just wrote some stuff down about the old well.

That's where it all happened.

One night about...maybe a month ago, I was sleeping and the cat woke me up. I knew he wouldn't wake me up for nothing, so I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed, and followed the cat to the well.

And then I saw Jonesy.

She was being pulled by something. Metal by the way it glinted when I shown my bike's light on it. I thought I could scare it off if it was some kind of animal, so pulled out my tongs. I didn't know it was capable of throwing me down the well.

I shivered in my chair as I thought back to that. All I could see was the stars and the hand and darkness beneath me. The hand used me as a ladder and then swiped at my right hand, sending me half down the dark pit.

I glanced at my bare right hand, which had three identical, long scars running from the tips of my knuckles to the beginning of my wrist.

Sometimes when we're near the well, I swear my scars start to tingle. Like Harry Potter or something. Not burn, they just tingle. It's weird.

I rubbed the scars, then continued my work, while Jonesy sat beside me, day dreaming by the looks of it.

As I wrote, someone whispered in my ear. "Do they hurt?"

I jumped slightly and then noticed that it was Jonesy's voice. "Huh?" I asked an eyebrow quirked.

"Your hand." She motioned to my scars, since my hand was bare from forgetting my gloves.

"Oh...No...Not really. They hurt that night though."

"It looks like it did. I mean, those were _needles._" She said.

"Y-yeah...But you had to face the body connected to the hand. I could never do that." It was true. I'd never be able to defeat something like that. I'd either pass out or just run around and scream. Jonesy was...brave. She's seen it all. She's not afraid of anything.

And that's why I love her so much.

What's NOT to love? Her hair, the way she punches me in the arm all the time, her deep brown- hazel eyes with specks of green...I was spacing out again.

Y'know, they say girls usually get lost in the guys' eyes.

It's the complete opposite with me. Almost every time I look into her eyes...They're hypnotizing...

"Why-were-You-Born? Helooo?" Jonesy snapped in front of my face.

It brought me out of my daze. "S-sorry, Jonesy," I mumbled and continued writing.

So much for a romantic moment.


	4. More Than Just Me

**A/N: Woo hoo, here we go againnn! :P**

**Another chapter, another awesome review, right?**

**I love all you reviewers who have reviewed so far! This is only my second story!**

**Now onward with the chapter!**

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Finally. One day down, four more to go. I smiled as I stepped off the school bus, Jonesy right behind me. We had the rest of the day to spend together, and boy was I ready for it.

"Ready to face the great unknown Jonesy?" I asked, adjusting my backpack on my shoulder.

"You know it Wybourne," She replied, giving me a light punch in the arm. "Where are we exploring today?"

I thought for a moment, rubbing my arm. Even if she didn't punch it that hard. It was a habit. "What if we just hang out at the well? Or the creek? Or…in the woods? There's bound to be some cool animals to find. Maybe the banana slugs are out…" I was babbling.

"Okay…I'll meet you at the well then?" Jonesy raised an eyebrow at me. She didn't point out how much I talk anymore. She's used to it.

"See you there Jonesy!" I called as I made my way towards home. She waved and started to do the same. I smiled again as her blue hair caught in the afternoon sun, shining like a sapphire. Wait-sun? I glanced up at the sky, surprised that the sun was out. It was almost always covered by clouds in the fall.

Today was gonna be a good day.

~*~

I walked in the door to my house. It was…a normal house, I guess. Nothing too fancy, but nothing too out-of-style. I sniffed the air and licked my lips. It smelled like gramma's chocolate chip cookies.

I set my backpack down and made my way into the kitchen, where gramma was pulling out a batch of chocolate chip cookies from the oven, pink oven mitts on her hands. She smiled and set the fresh cookies on the table to cool off.

"Good afternoon Wybourne. How was your day?" She asked, sitting down at the table.

"Hey gramma. My day was good." I gave her the gist of my day as I sat down across from her at the table, eyeing those cookies. I loved Grandma's cookies. All of her baking was great, actually. It was so good that sometimes Jonesy would come over and have dinner with us.

Gramma caught what I was looking at. "Be careful, I'd let them cool before you grab 'em. They're hot."

I waited a couple minutes until they were cool enough, then grabbed three and stuffed them into my mouth. They tasted like heaven. "Mmm," I moaned. "These are great Gramma."

"I try," She smiled. "And don't talk with your mouth full Wybourne."

I swallowed before replying. "S-sorry Gram." I smiled sheepishly, before grabbing more cookies.

After seven cookies and a changed outfit, I stood on the porch and stuffed my journal inside one of my many coat pockets. I could write something down about the well. _Or about Jonesy…_ I thought, hopping off the steps and going to my shed to get my bike.

I loved the shed. Sure, it was small, but it had a workbench full of all my tools and gizmos, and that was enough for me. I also kept my bike in there. Made it myself.

Right now, it had a popped tire, so I decided to replace it before heading over to the well. It wouldn't take long, I had an extra somewhere. I started searching through the shed, looking for a tire. _A tire…a tire…hmm….Got'cha! _

I grabbed the large tire from one of the shelves and hefted it over to Frankensteena. Yeah, that's what I call my bike. Don't judge me. Inventors name their inventions, right? Right.

After fixing her tire, I hopped on Frankensteena and grabbed my welding mask from the nearby shelf. Jamming the skeletal-painted object over my face, I started pedaling to the well, waiting for the homemade motor to kick in.

I took a short cut through the woods. It led me to the top of a hill, where I could get a clear view of the well, and even the Pink Palace in the background. The large, faded-pink palace was where Jonesy lived. And where that witch lived.

Speaking of Jonesy, I saw her sitting on the old stump that sat by the well. I counted its rings once, and recorded its number in my journal. One hundred and eight rings in all. That means that the tree itself was one hundred and eight years old when it was cut down. It was _old._

Might as well make an entrance. Positioning myself in a perfect, four-foot-tall-wheelie, I sped down the hill and braked right in front of the stump, spraying a little bit of mud on Jonesy. I lifted my mask and smiled.

"Heeyyy Jonesy."

Coraline smirked. "Hello, Why-Were-You-Born." She stood up off the stump while I hopped off Frankensteena and let her fall into the mud. "Decided where we're going yet?"

"W-what about the creek?" I suggested. "I bet the frogs are out today."

"The creek it is then! C'mon Why-Were-You-Born, let's go!" She started marching off in the direction of the creek. I followed a goofy smile on my face. If I found a frog, I could let Jonesy take some pictures of me doing stuff with it. Maybe…Frogzilla! Frogzilla 'cause everything that ends with 'zilla' is cool. Duh.

Once we got to the creek, I immediately bent over and started hunting for insects or frogs. They were always by the creek.

I discovered the creek before Jonesy moved in. I was exploring the woods and heard the sound of running water and followed it to a clearing. It was great. There was wildflowers and grasshoppers and the creek ran right through the middle. The water was almost deep enough to swim in. Three feet to be exact.

Jonesy and I never bothered to follow it and see where it went, 'cause it would probably lead to the local river or somethin'.

While I was busy hunting creepy crawlies, Jonesy was balancing on a fallen log that ran across the creek. It was covered with moss, and was bound to be slick.

"Careful Jonesy," I warned her, seeing her foot slip once or twice.

She rolled her eyes and stuck out her arms to help her keep balance. "Don't be such a worry wart Wybourne. I'll be fi- woah!!"

I heard a splash and glanced up to see Jonesy had fallen into the creek. I put a gloved hand over my mouth to shield my snickering. "You were warned." I told her.

She growled and moved a strand of wet, blue hair away from her face. She looked pale in the sunlight. Not pale ugly, pale pretty.

"What are you starin' at?" Jonesy asked, an eyebrow raised. I didn't know I was staring. I quickly averted my gaze.

"N-nothing!" I stuttered. "Just…Uh…The water's sparkling in the sunlight." I'm a terrible liar.

"Uh huhhh…" She dragged out the words, unbelieving of my excuse.

Like I said, terrible liar.

~*~

_Dear Jonesy, _

I sat in my bed, pencil and journal in hand. It was almost nine thirty, my bedtime. I felt like I needed to write something to Jonesy though.

It was more than just that. I needed to giver her one of these notes someday. _But what if she doesn't like me the way I like her…?_

I sighed and frowned. That was the only problem. I was barely a friend to her. She probably only hung out with me because I was the only kid who lived close to her. What am I thinking? If I told her how I feel, she'd punch me so hard…And probably never talk to me again.

I looked at my scars on my right hand. I've been looking at 'em a lot lately. I don't know why. I fingered them with my thumb. Three long, ugly scars. Proof that the Beldam really did exist.

Proof that Coraline and I were friends.

Maybe it could prove we were more. Or could be more.

More than just...me.


	5. The Mistake

**A/N: I'm backkkk! =)**

**Hurry and jump on this chapter people, this is where it gets _tense._**

**Btw, does anyone else like thier gramma's chocolate chip cookies? xD To me, Wybie seems like a junk-food addict. But that makes himall the hotter!**

**R&R! I'll give you a fresh batch of Mrs. Lovat's amazing cookies. **

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The last days of school were boring mostly. Nothing new. Well, besides the fact that Jonesy gave Jonas Binnman a bloody nose for shoving me against my locker on Thursday. Let's just say she got grounded.

For a week.

Which means I have no one to play with.

For a week.

It was Saturday for crying out loud! _Everyone _does something on Saturday. And "everyone" includes me and Jonesy. I smiled as I slipped on my gloves and tucked my journal inside my jacket.

"Time to give Jonesy a little surprise…" I mumbled, slipping outside.

~*~

_What am I thinking?!This is crazy! Insane! Insane I say!_

I was struggling to shimmy up that old, fallen tree that led right up to Jonesy's window. The cat did it! He always did it! So, why can't I?

It was a better plan then ringing the doorbell and saying: "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Uh, yeah, I want to hang out with your daughter, so I'm just gonna waltz right up to her room for a while…"

There were two things wrong with that option.

One: it was totally ridiculous and stupid and would never work.

Two: I sound like a perv saying that I'm gonna "waltz" up to her room and "hang out" with her for "a while."

Darn puberty.

Where was I? Oh, right, shimmying up that dumb tree.

Eventually, I reached the roof of the old Pink Palace and crawled up to Jonesy's window.

I peered through the glass and instantly saw her.

She was on her bed and she did not look very happy. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at the wall.

Ohh, real sane Jonesy. Was she waiting for the already-dry-paint to dry even dryer?

I thought of all the ways I could make an entrance. I knew the window was unlocked, it was always unlocked just in case Cat wanted to come in and say goodnight or something. We both left our windows cracked and open so he could come through.

I tapped my gloved fingers gently on the window's glass, thinking of how to get inside. I didn't notice that Jonesy was right on the other side of the window.

She opened it quick as a flash and I tumbled into her room. I rolled and then stood up, nervously smiling.

Jonesy still didn't look very happy. She just crossed her arms as she turned away from the window to face me.

"The Wrath" of Coraline is to be greatly feared. I've faced "The Wrath" more than once. Three times. The first was when I called her crazy and got some very hard shoes thrown at my head, the second was when I "accidentally" put Slugzilla Jr. down her shirt in science class and the third time was when I had made fun of the fact that she still slept with a stuffed animal and a blanky.

I thought I was gonna have to face "The Wrath" a fourth time.

"What are you doing here Why-Were-You-Born? I'm grounded, just in case you weren't paying attention when I told you at school."

"I-I know you're grounded, but…Uh…" I scratched the back of my neck. Classic Wybourne. "It's just…It's Saturday!"

"So?"

"Everybody does stuff on Saturday." I pointed out.

"But I'm _grounded _Wybie. It's punishment. It means I don't get a Saturday." She rolled her eyes.

"I know that too! But…I wanted you to have a Saturday. Jonas had it coming anyway. I didn't do anything to him."

"And that's why I socked him in the nose. He's a jerk. But mom doesn't understand the prospect of 'sticking up for a friend.'" Another hazel-eyed eye roll.

"He's a major jerk. He's like, the king of Jerksville." I smiled. "But this is just my way of saying…thanks. For not letting him pummel me."

Jonesy raised an eyebrow, then smiled a little. "Anytime Why-Were-You-Born," She said, walking up and slugging me in the arm. "I'm the only one that's allowed to beat you up."

I rubbed the soon-to-be-bruise and laughed nervously. "Heheh, yeah…anyway, I wanna show ya somethin'."

I sat down on her bed and pulled out my journal. Jonesy knew about the journal, just not the love notes. And I wanted to keep it that way until I was ready. I flipped a couple pages until I reached the one that had all the information about the old well.

We decided that we needed to watch and keep track of the well's status. To make sure that the hand was dead and stayed that way. Stayed down the well, smashed in little, needle-pieces.

Jonesy sat down beside me and studied the page. "What happened?" She asked, keeping her voice in a whisper.

"N-now, don't freak out but…I think that little hole in the boards is getting…bigger."

Her eyes widened and before she could flip, I explained my theory. The one that was the most probable.

"It's probably just decay, Jonesy!" I whispered. "I mean, the hand is _gone. _I promise."

She seemed to relax. A little. "Okay…I mean, I haven't heard anything from the door lately. I never heard anything from the door."

Inside my head, I chuckled. This was insane. We were obsessed with keeping a witch in her own world. And keeping her away from us. It was silly. But we were deathly serious about the study of the "Beldam."

We were so obsessed that Jonesy convinced me to go to the library and get all these "Ye Old English" books with all the old talk. Y'know, like: "And thus, the light of day approaches. Ye old peasants, lend me your ears!"

But the definition of "Beldam" came up a lot of times.

This is what I had written in my journal under a title labeled: BELDAM:

Beldam - (bel = denoting relationship + dame = mother) Witch or crone.

From mom to eve; unmindful of her form, - she can change shape?  
Unmindful of the happy dress that stole  
The wishes of the youth - Careful what you wish for, Jonesy.  
...Breathing astonishment! of witching rhymes – how she traps kids? Jonesy.  
And evil spirits; of the death-bed call - The kids that didn't get away? Ghost kids. Gramma's sister.  
...Tlie orphan's portion; of unquiet souls - There they are again.  
Risen from the grave to ease the heavy guilt  
...Around the beldam all erect they hang; - In that old bed Jonesy mentioned?  
Congealed with shivering sighs - That doesn't sound good.

…I studied a lot. It was hard, but that's about all I could come up with before I got a migraine from reading the old speak. That was just one of the legends I found in a book.

But we took an oath on the well that we'd never let another kid get stolen by the horrible Other Mother. So, we had to check the spots for anything.

Even if the hole in the well's cover is getting a bit larger. And it MAY have some little claw marks on it…

"Wybie? Hey, Wybourneee." Jonesy waved a hand in front of my face. "Is that all you wanted to show me?"

I closed my journal and set it in my lap. "Pretty much. I just thought that you'd like to know, since you couldn't check anything while you're grounded."

"Well, thanks for keeping me updated, I guess, you stalker." She smiled that smile again. Gee, I loved that smile. It made me melt like the chocolate chips in gramma's cookies.

I stood up and placed my hands behind my back, carelessly holding my journal behind it too. "So…I guess I outta…go." I shrugged, trying to stop staring at her.

"Okay…" Jonesy replied. "Do you wanna go out the window again or…?"

"Y-yeah! I'll be fine going out that way. Promise." I started making my way over to the window, my journal still clutched in my arms. I opened the window and slinked out onto the roof. The moonlight shown off of Jonesy's hair as she leaned out and said goodbye.

I saluted to her, stuffed my journal away, and slid down the fallen tree.

~*~

Coraline smirked as she saw Wybie slide down the tree by her window. She left it cracked and was going to sulk once again on her bed when she noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor.

"Hm. Guess one of Wybie's journal pages fell out." She muttered, picking up the piece of paper. Her mouth fell open as she read the first two words of the note.

_Dear Jonesy,_


	6. Jonesy

**A/N: Here you go, all my wonderful, Wybie-loving fans. :3**

**This chapter has a major cliffhanger, so be warned.**

**...Is anyone else kinda sad that noone really updates their Coraline stories? I mean, I've read some great stories, but they haven't been updated in a year! A year. Yeah.**

**It's sad. **

**Anyway, read on! 8D**

* * *

The rest of the night, I just couldn't seem to fall asleep. I laid in bed, gloveless hands behind my head, and stared at the ceiling. I just had a feeling. Something wasn't right. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

Maybe it was the fact that I forgot to put Frankensteena in the shed, or maybe it was the fact that the hole in the cover of the well _was _getting larger.

I shivered as a tingle ran down the scars on my hand. I rubbed them and bit my lip a little.

What if the hand _did _come out of the well? No, that was impossible. Completely impossible.

The well was at LEAST a half-mile deep. At least. It was probably deeper.

There was no way that thing could climb out. No way.

Even if it did…Who would it go for? Jonesy probably. But what if it came for me?

I couldn't do anything. The only reason I had came bounding down that hill that night was because of Jonesy.

Well…yeah. But I was also having an adrenaline rush thank you very much.

Jonesy and I are crazy for still going near the well. With all we've been through though, we can't say we're completely sane.

Gah. I still couldn't fall asleep. Maybe some warm milk would help…

Or a little bike ride through the woods.

I stood up and pulled my old jacket over my white undershirt. I've had it as long as I can remember, and it's still too big for me.

Grandma had to sew those silver reflective stripes on it because she said it's only legal to go biking at night if you have 'em on so car drivers can notice you. Not that Gram actually approves of me going biking at night.

She's afraid that I'll get kidnapped or something. As far as I know, the only kidnapper in Ashland is the Other Mother. And she's as dead as the banana slugs in winter. Seriously. I've found a banana slug frozen solid when I was out sledding last Christmas. It was just sad.

After I pulled on my coat, I quietly opened the door to my room and snuck down the stairs. I could hear Gramma's snores from the living room as I opened the front door and made my way onto the porch.

I don't snore. I've never really snored in my sleep. Not that I know of. I mostly roll and mumble in my sleep. I roll a lot, too. But, surprisingly, I've never fallen off the bed.

Okay, maybe once or twice. The bad thing is, my floor isn't carpeted. Not yet.

I have weird dreams too. Really weird dreams. Once, I even dreamt of Be Our Guest. Y'know, that song from "Beauty and the Beast"? It was weird. I do remember being hungry before I fell asleep though, so that could be what made me dream of it.

I walked over to my bike and lifted it up out of the mud. After wiping some dirt off of the seat, I mounted it and started to pedal.

Where? I didn't know. Just, anywhere. Hopefully riding would tire me out so I could go back home and fall asleep.

Before I even knew it, I was at the well. The wind blew gently, rattling the trees and making fallen leaves blow around like little cyclones. I silently got off Frankensteena and walked up to the well. Man, it was creepy out here.

Grabbing a big branch that was resting by the well, I picked it up and levered it under the cover, stomping on it and sending the boards up and over.

The dark hole matched the rest of the world. The moon was hidden behind the clouds tonight, making everything a dark shadow.

I kneeled down and peered into the abyss. It was the darkest of the dark.

I mean, it was almost scary. I was seriously creeped out now. I stood up and slowly backed away from the well. What if I fell down there? No one would ever find me. I'd be stuck with the hand and…

I shook my head. I almost fell down the well once already. I don't plan on actually falling down it.

Never in a million years.

But I do plan on the hand staying down there for more than a million years. Forever.

I picked Frankensteena up and mounted her. This place was just too freaky at night.

I yawned covered my mouth with my hand. I finally felt sleepy. Sleepy enough to fall asleep.

I rode home and was just about to let Frankensteena fall into the mud when I remembered.

I forgot to put the cover back on the well!

"Crap," I muttered as I got back onto the bike. If the cover was off, that meant something could fall in!

Or something could crawl out.

The moon was finally peering out from behind the black clouds as I came back to the well.

The lid was still off.

The well was still dark.

But now a hand made of shining, sharp needles was clicking on the stump that sat next to the well.

I froze, letting my bike drop next to me. The only sound was the "thud" it made and my suddenly shallow breathing.

I didn't know if it could see me, or even sense me there, but I knew that it knew I was right there.

Vulnerable and alone.

The hand shifted on the stump, its five needles clacking and clinking with each movement. Was it just me, or did it seem to be tapping its fingers on the stump? It was drumming its fingers as if it were contemplating on how to attack me. Planning.

I blinked as I stared that the thing. I was in complete shock. My whole body felt numb except for the scars on my right hand. They were tingling like crazy. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. I was dreaming. Yeah, that was it. I was so sleepy that I must've fallen asleep on the porch or something. This isn't real. But something in the back of my mind said it was.

I knew I should've ran.

I knew I should've called for help. For anyone who could possibly save me.

But all I could do was stare, my olive-green eyes large and afraid. Frozen in fear. Paralyzed in fear. So afraid that my brain felt like it had stopped.

Now, even though I was staring at the thing that had tried to murder me, at the face-er hand- of death, all I could whisper was: "Jonesy."

And that's when it attacked.


	7. The Battle and the Mission

I dived out of the way as the hand jumped off the stump and onto the ground where I had been standing. Its' needles clicked as it turned around and made another lunge at me.

I rolled out of the way again and stood up, heading for Frankensteena. I had to get someone. Anyone- to help me.

_Jonesy._

That was my only thought as I stared at the hand.

_Coraline. Help me._

I bet it could read my thoughts, or at least hear them, because this time, in a split second, it lunged again and actually managed to graze my outstretched hand. It tore through the glove and I could already feel the blood. I ignored the pain and realized that riding my bike wouldn't be smart.

I turned around in a circle, hearing nothing but clacking. I couldn't see the hand. Panic started to well up inside me as I kept turning around. _I know it can see me. But I can't see i-_

My thoughts were cut off as the hand tackled me from behind, digging its needle-like fingers into my curls. I fell on my face and rolled over, trying to get it off.

If I couldn't do something about it, it would kill me. I looked around for a rock. That's what I used to destroy it last time. I couldn't find anything.

I couldn't even find the hand.

It had unlatched itself from my hair and skittered into the darkness again. All I could hear was the sound of my heart beating, and my breath as I waited for another assault. I rubbed the back of my head, and my eyes widened when I felt something sticky in the curls. Blood. This thing WAS going to kill me.

I stood up and turned around and around in circles, looking once again for the thing.

_It's playing with me, _I realized as I heard more clicks and scuttles. I jerked to face the sound, but now it was coming from the opposite side.

_It's playing with me, _I thought again. _It WANTS me to be afraid. _

If it kept doing this, I was gonna start hyperventilating. I rubbed my right hand; the thing had cut it again. Only horizontally. Now the scars would look like a tic-tac-toe board.

The hand made a grab for me again, missing by a hair as I dodged its attack. I gasped and held my stomach. I was out of breath. _I can't keep doing this. _I thought, standing upright again.

_I don't know how much longer I can do this._

I was near the well though. This is where it happened last time. I thought of someway to throw the hand back down into its depths, but I was all out of ideas.

Out of ideas.

Out of energy.

Out of hope.

The hand, for the fourth time, lunched at me and pushed into my chest, knocking me down and taking my breath away. I rolled over and over, trying to get the horrible thing that's haunted my nightmares off, but all of a sudden, I didn't feel anything beneath me.

No ground. Nothing solid. Just air.

I was falling into blackness. A black hole. Nothing.

I had fallen into the well.

And I took the hand with me.

My screams got caught in my throat as I plummeted down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

They say that if you fell down the well, you'd be able to see the stars in the sky, even if it's the middle of the day. It was night, and when I looked up, I could see all the stars, shining in the black sky.

I knew that was going to be the last thing I ever saw. The last thing I ever wanted to see was Coraline.

Coraline Jones. Not "Jonesy." Just Coraline. I loved her, ever since we met. _But I'll never get to tell her now. _

My life was over. Another Lovat gone. And it was all the Beldam's fault.

Y'know, they say the well's more than a mile deep, but it didn't take me that long to hit the bottom.

Instead of hitting hard rock and water, and more importantly, my death, I landed on something soft and cushiony.

A million questions ran through my brain as I hit the thing. _Wasn't I supposed to land in water? On rocks? Heck, I'm supposed to be dead! Right?_

I never got an answer to the questions because, next thing I knew, my vision went hazy and I fell into the blackness of unconsciousness.

~*~

"Wybie…Why didn't he tell me?" Coraline whispered. She was sitting on her bed, the love note in her hands. She re-read what was written for the third time:

_Dear Jonesy,_

_I…I love you. I know that if you read this, you'll probably think I'm even more of a creep, or a weirdo, something. But I can't deny it anymore. I'm in love with you. I try not to show it around you, but you must've noticed my cheeks turn red once or twice when I'm around you._

_And, whenever I man up enough to give you this, I hope you'll like me the way I like you._

_Coraline Jones, I love you._

_-Wybie_

The girl sighed as she finished reading. Deep down, she did love Wybie. But, she kept it disguised by punching him, or calling him a stalker, or a jerkwad.

Wybie knew she was only teasing whenever she called him those things…right? Or did he think that she didn't like him back.

Coraline stood up and stuffed the note into her blue jeans pocket and whispered: "Wybie Lovat, you are one lucky boy."

She then walked over to her window, opened it up, and made a go to shimmy down the old tree by her window.

"It's...harder…than it looks!" She grunted as she finally slipped the rest of the way down. She thought about going to Wybie's house and seeing him, but she had a strange urge to go to the well. It was a perfect night, and Wybie was sure to be there.

Coraline slowly walked to the well, looking around at the blooming trees in the orchard. They were a light pink, and they fell around her. Just like that night.

She smiled as she reminisced, but her mouth fell open as soon as she laid her eyes on the well.

The lid was off.

She ran up to the clearing and looked around. Almost hidden in the darkness, she picked up a cloth-like object. When she turned it over in her hands, she saw that it had white, skeleton patterns on it.

Wybie.

Coraline glanced around, the glove still in her hand. There was a spot or two of blood on it, which made her scared. What really freaked her out was the shiny object on the stump.

"W…what is that…?" the girl whispered, walking up to the stump.

She had to hold a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

A small, black-button key, sat on the stump, its button bottom glinting in the moonlight.

Slowly, Coraline picked it up. It felt like ice, and sent chills rolling down her spine.

"H-how?!" She gasped. "H-how did this happen?"

The girl looked at the two objects in her hands:

A glove and a key.

Realization crashed down on her.

_Wybie's in the Other World. _

She walked over to the well and looked into its depths, wishing, hoping, that any minute Wybie would come crawling out, alive and happy, and they could finally get rid of the key once and for all.

Coraline kneeled down and put her face over the well. "I'm coming Wybie." She whispered as she turned around and put the cover onto the well, covering it once again in blackness.

She could still feel the note in her jeans pocket as she walked home, planning on how to rescue the cool, dork, dipwad she called her best friend. And as she walked, she thought of the first two words that he had written in the note:

_Dear Jonesy,_

* * *

**A/N: Wow. That's like, what, the second chapter I've ended with _Dear Jonesy?_**

**Hmm. I gotta think about that. But yeah, wybie's in the other world 'cause he fell down the well, blah blah. **

**He's such a clutz. :3 But that's why I love him.**

**Anyway R&R! And enjoy. 8D**


	8. Awakening

**A/N: This chapter gave me heck, man. :/**

**I had to re-write where Mr. Wybie wakes up about three times. I'm still not proud of the way it turned out.**

**I'm a horrible Other Mother. xDD**

* * *

Do you know what unconsciousness feels like? It's weird. You're really sleeping, but you aren't having a dream. It feels like you're floating in blackness. Or a cloud.

That's exactly how I felt. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I just…couldn't do anything.

That is, until I came to.

It happened slowly. I mean, Slugzilla slow. But, eventually I became aware of everything. Especially a dull pounding in the back of my head. I moaned a little as I opened my eyes halfway. Everything was blurred and mixed, so I just shut them again.

_Wh…where am I? _I thought groggily, making another attempt to open my eyes. This time I managed, and the first thing I saw was a woman with black hair, a spotted dress, and worst of all:

Buttons for eyes.

Black, shiny, coal-dark buttons, and they were staring at me. "Wha? Where…?" My head was too heavy to make sentences, so I just went with the basics.

The woman laughed. She looked a lot like Jonesy's mother actually…Besides those buttons. They creeped me out

"Silly Wybie," She giggled. Her voice actually eased my headache. A little. "You took quit a fall, didn't you?"

"I….I…" I couldn't find the right words to say. I felt weak, tired. "Who are you…?"

The lady smiled, showing off her pearly white teeth. They sparkled. "Why, I'm Coraline's Other mother." She replied, putting her hand up to her chest. _Other…?_

"O-Other Mother…?" Could this possibly be the woman Jonesy had told me about? This lady, the Other Mother, had scared Coraline Jones silly? _She doesn't look evil…_

"Yes, Other Mother. Everyone has an Other Mother you know." She said.

_I don't have an Other Mother… _I thought.

"U-umm…Okay…" I muttered, looking around. _Time to get out of here… _"I-I really think I should go…" I tried to sit up, but as I did, my head swam and so did my vision. I was dizzy. "Whoa…"

The Other Mother pushed me gently back down onto the pillow. Wait, I was laying on a pillow? I took a good look around the room as my sight cleared again. I was in a room. The walls were painted a light gray, there were bicycle tires all over the wall, and there was even a little fireplace. It was my dream room.

"Now now Wybie, you can't get up just yet," The Other Mother chided. "But I do thank you for returning my hand. That was very nice of you." She flexed the fingers on her right hand.

"I-I gave you your…hand?" Reality came crashing down on me as I realized that metal thing was actually her HAND. It didn't look like an evil metal cluster of needles at the moment though. My eyebrows furrowed. I REALLY wanted to get out of this nuthouse.

"Uhhh…You're welcome…?" I replied, uncertainly. She nodded.

"So polite…unlike your little _friend…_" She spat out the word "friend" as if it was acid. I was confused again. Maybe it was because I just wanted to sleep, or was so dizzy. I couldn't tell.

"Well. Don't worry, little Wybie," how does she know my name? "Payment will come when payment is due." The Other Mother waved her hand dismissively.

_Payment? This lady really is wack. _I thought. If I could've ran without falling over sick, I would've been outta there.

"But, no time for talking." The Other Mother interrupted my thoughts. "You need to get some rest." She leaned over me and kissed my forehead. My headache let up a little more.

"B-b-but…" I protested. I didn't want to "rest." I wanted to get out of here! To go see Jonesy.

"Shhh." She put her index finger up to my lips, silencing me. "Rest. You need to it." The Other Mother then stood up and walked out of the room, flipping off the lights and glancing back at me with those creepy button eyes. "Goodnight Wybourne." She whispered.

The way she called me by my full name made me shiver. Surely she didn't know me. I've never even seen her before, so it was impossible.

I wanted to do anything but sleep right now. Write a letter to Jonesy, try to get out of here, something. But I was tired. Fighting the Other Mother's hand had completely drained me. Before I knew it, my eyes were slipping closed and the last thing I thought before I fell asleep was, "_Jonesy, hurry up and save me…"_

~*~

"It's just like me to save that jerkwad," Coraline muttered, grabbing her pink shoulderbag and loading it with supplies. A flashlight, some DingDongs, just in case she got hungry. (She vowed to never again eat the Beldam's food.) As an afterthought, she picked up the triangular shaped piece of hard, green taffy that she called the "Seeing Stone" and put it up to her eye. Nothing seemed different.

In this world.

In the Other World though, the stone had helped her find the ghost children's eyes when she was playing the game against the Other Mother.

She quickly put the stone away and started walking downstairs, her navy cap placed over her head. Her parents were out getting the next chapter of their catalogue edited and she was sure they wouldn't be back for awhile.

With the black key in her hand, she made her way into the drawing room and kneeled by the door. The door that had led to the worst nightmare of her life. Her hand shook as she went to turn the key into the lock and she jumped when she heard a familiar meow.

"Gah. You!" She accused as the old black cat of Wybie's trotted up and sat down beside her, staring up with those bright blue orbs. He mewed again in reply, its tail flicking back and forth calmly.

Coraline sighed. "Okay. You know what happened to Wybie, don't you?" She asked. The cat nodded.

"Then…I guess this is the only way to save him…" The cat nodded again. With faint hesitation,the girl inserted the key into the locked door and slowly opened it, using the key as a doornob.

"Oh…no." Coraline's eyes were wide as a blue and pink tye-dyed tunnel stretched out before them. _It's real...She's still alive._

"Oh yes." The cat replied, looking back up at the girl.


	9. Dinner Trap

I awoke from a sleep full of nightmares. Mostly about the Other mother's hand, falling down the well, and Coraline.

I twitched slightly as I opened my eyes. My head was still pounding, but I ignored it as I sat up. I sat up slow, but I still felt dizzy. I rubbed my head and stood up, wobbling slightly. Just how hard did I fall?! Did I hit my head? _Well, the pounding would make sense then,_ I thought. It felt like someone was just drumming right into my head.

Looking around my "perfect" room, I noticed that it was everything I've always wanted. "This is crazy," I muttered as I stumbled to the door.

I shook my head, making my brown curls bounce. _This is completely insane. Gah, why am I so dizzy?! _I ignored the feeling of spinning and walked out of my room. Well, my "other" room, and made my way slowly down the stairs. My stomach growled. I was starving. I hadn't eaten since last night. Or was it yesterday? How long had I been here?

Once down the stairs, I was greeted by the smell of something baking. Or was it cooking? Frying? Heck if I knew. I'm not the one for baking or cooking. I sniffed the air and smiled. It smelled like mashed potatoes, macaronii and cheese, pizza...This had "buffet" written all over it. I followed the smell to the kitchen and lingered in the doorway. Who was making all this stuff...?

I looked at the window on the opposite wall, surprised to see a full moon. It must've been late. Why would someone cook this late?

There was a certain woman at the stove, and she was humming something. Her shiny, black hair glinted in the light. It was the Other Mother.

She really didn't look evil. She looked nice, actually. Why does Jonesy hate her so much? Boy, I can't remember the last time I saw my mom at the stove, cooking. I never really knew my mom and dad so...I didn't really know about "motherlyness" or any of that. I tilted my head to the side and listened to her humming, curious.

At least Jonesy had a mom...And an other mom...

Suddenly, the Other Mother turned around, a bowl of something in her hands that she was stirring. "Oh! There you are. I was wondering when you'd wake up. Have a seat, won't you? I bet you're starving."

"O-okay..." I walked over and sat at the round table. It was already half-set. I smiled, then frowned. "How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Hmm...I'm not sure. Here, it's hard to measure time."

_Huh? Hard to measure time?_ I thought. I started asking another question. "B-but-" Something got shoved into my mouth and my eyebrows shot up. It was a strawberry, and a big one at that.

The best one I've ever tasted. I tried to protest again but when I started chewing the strawberry, I stopped talking.

"No more questions," The Other Mother smiled, looking as happy as a clam as I quickly devowered the tasty fruit. "Do those taste ripe to you?"

I nodded and smiled, still enjoying the sweet aftertaste. "I think they're ripe. That tasted great." She laughed and turned back to her cooking. "I'm glad you liked it. But no more until you've finished dinner. I don't want you spoiling your food."

Spoil it? How could I spoil dinner? I thought about this as I tapped my fingers on the table. The cold feeling of it made me look at my hand.

The glove was missing.

I examined my right hand, but there was no glove. Just my tan hand with the scars running vertically and now horizantally across the top. The horizantle one still had dried blood on it and I cringed slightly. I hated blood. Sure, gory movies are cool, but only 'cause you can tell the blood's ketchup. This wasn't ketchup though. The other scars were tingling again, but I didn't pay any attention to 'em, even though I should've.

The Other Mother set more things on the table and sat down herself, smiling at me with her hands folded. I glanced at the food and then to her. It looked delicious.

"Well, go on! Eat up." The Other Mother insisted, motioning to all the food. It was all my favorites too. Without giving it a second thought, I started loading my plate and took a bite out of some macaronii and cheese. "Mmm...This is great!" I said, my mouth full.

As I ate, I forgot all about Jonesy, and what the Other Mother really was. I forgot about getting out of here. All of a sudden, I didn't wanna leave. Why shoud I leave? This place is paradise.

It was amazing. I had to explore outside later. I bet there was cool stuff out there. I was oblivious to everything while I gobbled down my food.

I was REALLY oblivious to the way the Other Mother was looking at me. Like I was something for HER to eat.

~*~

"I Can't believe it...She's back! GAH." Coraline smacked her hand down on the tunnel, making it bounce. The cat trotted after her, perfectly calm.

"Being angry isn't going to solve anything," It commented, not even glancing at the girl. "What you really need is a plan."

"But I don't have one! Stupid...Why-Were-You-Born...just HADD to fall down the well. He's such a dork."

The cat shook his head.

"Wybie is...smart for a child of his age, but he's not smart enough to not get ensnared by the Beldam."

Coraline huffed. "Neither was his great aunt. Now I have to save ANOTHER Lovat from the Other Mother. At least I know where he gets it from." She and the cat stopped as they reached the opposite side of the door.

Coraline called it the entrance to hell. Wybie...had a hard time actually grasping the fact that what happened that night at the well wasn't just a wierd dream, but he tried his best to believe his friend.

"Here we go..." She muttered as she turned the knob and crawled out cautiously. Everything looked EXACTLY as it had before it had started bursting at the seams and turning evil.

"Why does it still look like my house?" The girl questioned, standing up and looking around.

The cat followed out and sat down on its haunches. "She never made another spy, therefore, she doesn't know what Wybie's home looks like. She meant to capture you, after all." It hopped up onto the mantle above the fireplace and licked its paw. The snowglobe was no longer there.

"You'll have to figure this out on your own, I'm afraid," The cat said, his ear twitching and turning for a sound Coraline couldn't hear. "I hear her little...spies." The cat gave out a meow and leapt off the mantle, dashing and dissapearing in one of the many ways it had to get in and out of the world.

Coraline shook her head and started walking to the kitchen, where the Other mother spent most of her time. But she had taken a sworn oath that, if the Other Mother ever returned, that she would NEVER eat any of her food. EVER.

"_That should be in the great book of laws. 'Thou shalt never partake of thy evil witch's food or you shall be punished.'" _She thought, hoping with all her being that Wybie hadn't eaten anything yet.

Her hope was lost when she bravely walked into the kitchen, only to have her bravest look falter as she saw the Other Mother's black buttons.

She never wanted to see her buttons again. She wanted to get the cat and make it wrench those horrible things out of their sockets for good and destroy the key for good. Maybe burn it this time. Coraline's voice faltered as well when she saw exactly who she was looking for. she meant for it to come out harsh but all she could whisper was, "Wybie."

He looked up at her, and his green, olive-colored eyes widened.

"...Coraline."

* * *

**Ahh, I'm updating too fast. xD**

**Well, I honestly have nothing else to do. I'm bored and when I'm bored, I write. I might start another story, but I don't have the plot figured out just yet. :P**

**Anyway, enjoy my latest cliffhanger! :D**


	10. Behind the Mirror

Was...Was I still asleep? Or was Coraline Jones standing in the doorway? I stared at her, she stared back. Then she stared at the Other Mother. For the first time, I saw real fear in her hazel eyes. I've seen anger in them, I've seen compassion, but never fear. Not _true _fear.

It scared me. If Coraline was afraid of this woman...why wasn't I afraid of her? I should've been afraid, but all I could do was roll up my coat sleeve and pinch my arm.

"Ow!" I mumbled. Okay, I WASN'T dreaming. Good to know. Then I looked back over at Coraline and the Other Mother. They weren't paying any attention to me, they seemed to be having a staring contest. Kinda hard to lose when you have button eyes though.

It was a VERY tense, awkward silence, until the Other Mother spoke up.

"Coraline, darling, glad to have you back."

Coraline narrowed her eyes, her fear forgotten. I had a feeling I was going to see The Wrath once again.

"Don't call me 'darling.' You aren't my mother." Then she turned her attention to me. "Get up Why-Were-You-Born. We're getting out of here."

I started to stand up when the Other Mother smiled evilly. My scars were tingling again. "If only it were that easy..." She hissed. Was it just me, or did she look...taller? In fact, she rose from her chair and started to grow. Looking more and more evil.

_Oh God._ Coraline and I watched in horror as the Other Mother grew taller, and taller, her hair becoming greasy and her lip curling in a confident smirk.

"I think you two need a little...time-out." She said, the usually sweet tone in her voice gone. What happened?

"T-t-time-out?" I asked, trying to back away a little. Jonesy grabbed my hand, stopping me. Wait-she was holding my hand? I looked down at our linked hands and blushed like crazy. I swear, my cheeks were gonna catch on fire. Coraline Jones was holding my hand.

This was so much better than sitting by her on the bus.

I didn't have much time to think about it though, because our hands broke apart as the Other Mother grabbed my ear in one hand, and Coraline's nose in the other. We both screamed in unison.

"Owww!"

"That hurts!"

"S-stop!"

She didn't listen, however, just dragged us, screaming and kicking, to the giant mirror in the hallway. What was she going to do?!

The Other Mother shoved Coraline through first. The mirror rippled like waves as she went through.

I was next. When she pushed me through, I landed on something soft, thankfully.

"Get off of me Why-Were-You-Born!" Coraline growled. My eyes widened and I scrambled off her. We both looked up at the Other Mother, who had stuck her head through the mirror. "Some time in here might do you insolent children good." She said, her black buttons glaring daggers into us as she disappeared through the mirror's entrance, the wall shimmering green.

"No!" I called, gasping and started to beat at the wall. It was solid and cold. I turned my head toward Jonesy, her head was bowed, blue hair over her face.

"Coraline, help me!! We need to-"

"There's no way to get out."

"Wha?" I was surprised at how feeble her voice was. It sounded worn out...defeated.

"There's no way out," She repeated. "Only someone from the other side can get us out."

"B-b-but..." No. Just, no. We couldn't be stuck in here. "N-no..." I put my back to the cold wall and slowly slid down it. I couldn't stay here.

"No," I repeated. "No...no..."

Coraline looked up at me, and crawled over, sitting beside me. "Wybie...It's okay."

"N-no..." I started shaking. "No, no, no! I-it's not okay..."

Coraline's eyebrows furrowed. "Wybie. It's fine. Nothing's going to do anything to you...I'm here." She pulled out something crinkled and folded. A piece of paper. She unwrapped it and handed it to me.

"Do...do you mean it?" She whispered.

"Huh?" I asked, taking the piece of paper. My eyes widened as I realized that it was one of my love notes.

"Do you really mean what you wrote?" She pointed to the three words in my untidy handwriting, and even though it was dark, I could read them.

_I love you._

The three words I've been too scared to tell her. I sighed. "I...I...yeah. I mean that." I pulled out my journal and opened to, showing her all of the other love notes.

Coraline's mouth was slightly open as I read each one out loud. There. I did it. I told the girl I'd loved for over a year the truth. No more hiding.

"W-wow..." She stuttered. "I mean...Wybie. I never knew..."

I smiled a little at her. "Sorry I never told you...I guess I was afraid that you'd punch me or something."

Coraline smiled even larger. "Really? Well, this is what you get for not telling me all this time!" She slugged me in the arm, smirking.

"Oww!" I yelped, rubbing my arm.

Jonesy's smirk turned into the smile I've always loved. "And this is what you get for telling me at all." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

A goofy smile spread across my face. She KISSED me! KISSED ME! Coraline Jones, kissed Wybourne Lovat! History was being made here! I blushed as I put my hand up to my cheek, but then stuck out my bottom lip in a pout.

"What about the lip-kiss?"

Coraline raised an eyebrow. "...What?"

"Y'know...that kiss that the girl and the guy always have when they're stuck somewhere...Like...oh, I dunno, behind a dark and scary mirror?"

She punched me gently in the arm again. "This isn't one of those cheesy romance shows that are on every Saturday, Lovat." She stated.

"Right..." I mumbled, rubbing my arm again. "But you still need a Prince Charming to cuddle up on when things get ugly!"

"...I was the one who saved you."

"...Oh. Well, you didn't save me yet! We both need saving!"

"How do you propose we do that, Mr. Plan Man?"

"I-I don't know!" I threw my hands up.

Coraline eyed my right hand, the one without a glove, and pulled something from her pink handbag.

"Here Wybourne, I found this by the well." She grabbed my hand and slipped the glove into it. I smiled and flexed my fingers.

"Thanks Jonesy." I said, before standing up. I started pacing, my hands placed behind my back.

"What are you doing...?" Coraline stared at me. I turned and faced her.

"Well, if we're gonna get outta here before buttons-for-brains comes back, we need a plan don't we?"

A smile made its way across her face, making my heart skip a beat. "Right." She replied, standing up. We then started pacing in unison.

* * *

**A/N: Well. Here you go. :P **

**I promised my friend a bit of fluff in the mirror, since I needed to meantion the letters again anyway. Isn't that right Autumn?**

**Anyway, there's more to come! :D R&R!**


	11. Getting Out

I nibbled on a Dingdong while Jonesy kept pacing. I had given up about thirty minutes ago. There just wasn't any way to get out of here. It was impossible. Simple as that.

But could anyone-or anything for that matter-stop Coraline Jones? Nope. Thus why she was still pacing back in forth in the cold dark room behind the mirror while I sat, back against the wall, and ate her Dingdongs she had packed. She was persistent. Unwilling to accept defeat. Me-I just gave up.

Gave up and let the girl who constantly kept my arm black and blue figure out how to save us. Because obviously, I didn't have a clue how to get us out of here.

Jonesy looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "Those were my Dingdongs." She said, before continuing to pace. I looked at my half-eaten one and shrugged, stuffing it into my mouth.

"Sorry," I replied, licking some of the white cream from my fingers.

She rolled her eyes. "Those were supposed to be for me so I wouldn't have to eat any of HER stuff."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the Other Mother's food? I think it's great." Next thing I knew, Coraline's hard fist made contact with my tender arm. I yelped and rubbed the for-sure bruise.

"Her food is NOT good," She growled at me. I stared up at her. What'd I do wrong?

"I-I think it's good."

"Well, don't. She just uses it to lure you in."

So THAT'S why I never wanted to leave while I ate an hour ago. The Other Mother put a spell on it or something.

Probably.

...It could totally've happened.

I unwrapped the other Dingdong, ready to take a bite out of it when Jonesy snatched it out of my hands. "Hey!" I exclaimed as she smirked and took a big bite out of the treat. She held it back out to me as she chewed. I made a face at the giant bite mark with her spit all over it.

"No thank you." I said, crossing my arms. Jonesy ate the rest of the Dingdong and started to pace once more.

She groaned. "We need to get out of here! There HAS to be a way."

"There's no way to get that Dingdong back..." I pouted.

"Will you be quiet about the freaking Dingdong?!" Coraline shouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry Jonesy."

"Right. Now...How are we getting out of here?"

"I-I don't know!" I stood up. "There's no way out! No way at all! I swear, the walls are closing in! We're going to die!" I exclaimed, falling dramatically to the ground, eyes closed and tongue lolling out in a fake death.

Coraline rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm, dragging me up. "Get up," She said. "I need you to help me."

I was still playing dead. "Need...air..." I gasped. Jonesy stared at me and sighed, dropping me to the ground again.

"You're hopeless." She concluded as I propped myself up on my elbows.

"I am not hopeless! Just bored."

"How can you be bored?! We can DIE in here, Why-Were-You-born! This is serious!" Jonesy glared me down.

"S-sorry..." I mumbled again, standing up. I hadn't been able to grasp the fact that we could actually starve to death in here, if the Other Mother never got us out. "M...maybe we should just....wait."

"Just...wait?" Coraline repeated.

"Yeah. You know...until the Other Mother comes back to get us out of here." She wasn't going to like that idea.

"Why should we wait for that witch?"

Told you.

"Because! She's the only one who can get us out." I slowly took off my jacket and folded it like a pillow. I laid my head on it and closed my eyes. Jonesy raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing...?" She asked. She had almost never seen me with my jacket off, I knew she was surprised. I cracked one of my olive-green eyes open.

"Napping," I replied, stretching out on the hard floor of the place behind the mirror. "What else can we do while we wait for Miss Buttons-For-Brains?"

Jonesy giggled at the nickname I gave the Other Mother. She laid down beside me and I shared my jacket-slash-pillow with her.

"Y'know...You should really wear your jacket less often," She told me, looking at my bruised arm. "I can admire my handiwork."

I unconsciously rubbed my arm and laughed nervously. Even though we were best friends, I blushed at how close she was to me. "W-well...I like my jacket."

"I can tell," Jonesy then shivered and slid closer to me. "It's cold."

I nodded at her. Without my jacket, I realized how cold it really was in here. Cold and damp. I snuggled against Jonesy, keeping her warm. We smiled at each other. Best friends for at least a year, I knew she finally loved me the way I loved her.

Way more than a friend.

~*~

"Wybie...Wake up..."

"..."

"Wybie...!"

"Nurrr..."

Jonesy shook me and said my name again. I didn't want to get up though, I was comfortable. Comfortable and sleepy and warm.

She kept shaking me. "C'mon Wybie, get up." Her voice sounded impatient.

I rolled over and snuggled up into something soft, willing myself into dreamland once more. "Still sleepy..." I mumbled.

Jonesy was fed up. She shoved me, making me turn over on the thing I was laying on. That got me awake. A little bit anyway. I slowly opened my eyes. "What..?"

"Wybie, look." She motioned around her. We were in my other room, on my bed. I sat up on my elbow and rubbed my eyes, getting a better look around.

"H...how'd we get here?" I asked, yawning.

"I don't know," Coraline replied. "The Other Mother must've taken us out of the mirror while we were asleep."

"We were really hard asleep then." I said, pulling on my jacket and standing up. Coraline scoffed.

"You were harder asleep than I was. It took me forever to get you up!" She told me.

"I was tired!" I protested, cracking the door open and peering into the other version of Jonesy's house. The coast was clear. Of the Other Mother at least. Was it just me, or did the house look a little...wavy? Blurred? Faded?

I opened the door and crept out, Coraline right behind me.

"Y'know," She whispered. "You're other room is dumb."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I made it." I replied going quietly down the steps. I was about to head for the kitchen, when Jonesy grabbed my arm and hauled me to the drawing room.

"You first." She hissed, pushing me through the door. I stumbled in and looked around. It was dark, but I could still make out the outline of the little door in the corner. I smiled and motioned for Coraline to follow me.

She shook her head.

My eyebrows pulled together. "What the heck? Come on!" I said, beckoning to the door once more.

She shook her head again.

"She's here..." Jonesy informed me quietly. "Wybie, _get over here._" The tone in her voice was dead serious, so I scampered back to her side.

As bravely as she could, Jonesy strode into the middle of the dark drawing room. "I'm here." She announced to no one. When I tried to follow her, she pointed her finger back to the doorway. I stayed obediently.

Was the Other mother going to come and snatch her away? Put buttons through her eyes right in front of me? Eat her soul first, then have mine for dessert? Oh, God. I didn't wanna be dessert!

"I'm here!" Coraline repeated, spreading her hands out. Almost immediately, all the lights in the room came on, revealing bug furniture. I looked around in aw.

Then, sitting on a red couch, the Other Mother, in her tall, skinny-pale frame smiled at us.

I ran to Coraline's side, trying to look as brave as I could. I tried to stop shaking too.

The Other Mother's smile grew larger as she held up a black-and-green-stripped, tattered up, journal.

My journal.

"What a poet you are, Wybourne," She said to me, making a shudder roll down my spine as if an ice-cube had been put down my shirt.

"But I'm afraid," The woman continued. "I do not like you stealing my daughter from me!" And with that, she threw the journal into the green flames of the fireplace and stood up, looming over me. Coraline backed away, leaving me in the spotlight.

"You..." the Other Mother hissed. "remind me of _him._ Just like _him._" She kept spitting out "him." Who was "him?"

"You mean...The Other Wybie?" Coraline questioned, flashes of the silent, button-eyed boy running through her mind.

"Yes. Just like _him._" The witch glared at me and stroked my cheek gently. I shivered. When had her hands become needles?

"But," The evil thing said again, walking over to the fireplace and smiling as she watched the remains of my journal turn into ashes, the fire hissing and cackling as it devoured them. "I liked it when you were _silent_!"

She threw something from the mantle at me. It hit my head with a sickening _crack _and I stumbled backwards, putting my hand to the spot that had been hit. What just happened?!

I stumbled back again, and Coraline caught me in her arms. She glared up at the Other Mother with pure hate in her hazel eyes. Real, burning hate.

"I am not your daughter," She said coldly. "My real mother would never hurt my friends!"

I didn't hear the Other Mother's reply, I was too busy trying to stay conscious. My head was swimming and blackness ate at the corners of my vision. I knew I was going to pass out. What had hit my head so hard?

The last thing I saw before the blackness took over was the Beldam advancing on me and Coraline, a silver needle in one hand, a spool of thread in the other.

Everything vanished as consciousness deserted me.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Why do I keep making Wybie pass out? **

**Honestly, I don't know. **

**Just all part of the plot. **

**Once again, the Other Mother is going to try to sew buttons into Coraline's eyes. When will she learn? It's just not going to happen.**

**Anywayyy, R&R! Or I'll throw something at you. **

**...Just kidding.**


	12. Winning Our Escape

Oh great. Why-Were-you-Born's unconscious on me, the Other Mother's coming _at _me, and the cat's not even around!

I wasn't going to throw Wybie at her either. Instead, I mustered up all the courage I had and glared at the Other Mother, who had a confident smirk upon her crusty-white, cracked-like-a-plate face.

"Leave him alone," I growled, setting Wybie gently down on the floor away from the Other Mother. He muttered a little, but stayed unconscious. _Thanks for the help Wybourne. _

The Other Mother looked at him hungrily for a second, before turning back to me. "Why should I leave him alone...? He's just like the Other Him! The ungrateful brat! He deserved what I threw at him."

I glanced at Wybie. Sprawled out on the floor, looking weak and helpless. The place where the Other Mother had hit him was dotted with red, some of the blood showing through the curls. I had to help him after this.

"He...he didn't deserve anything," I protested. "What did he do?! This trap was meant for me, right? The cat told me so." I smirked slightly. If there was one thing the Other Mother hated besides cheaters and disobedience, it was the cat.

The Other Mother narrowed her eyebrows, glaring at me. "That _vermin_ is a liar," She snarled. "you shouldn't be around him. Vermin are a bad influence. And so is that boy." She nodded towards Wybie. He was groaning a little now.

"This..." I said, standing up a little taller. "is between you and me. Not Wybie, not the cat. Just you and me."

"Oh...is that so?" The Beldam questioned, walking with her spidered legs in circles around me. My eyes followed her every move. How was I going to defeat her again? The cat wasn't here, Wybie was...well, down for the count, and I was alone.

I blinked hard. Think, Coraline, think! I started edging towards the door, but the Other Mother stepped in front of it. I was a cat playing with its prey, a spider with a bug caught in its web.

I was trapped.

"It's just buttons darling," The Other Mother smiled sincerely. "All of your problems could be cured with a simple needle and thread."

"No," I spat, backing up and looking at Wybie. His eyelids fluttered a little. Barely. _Hurry up and wake up, you dork! _I wanted to scream.

"I don't want _you, _I don't want your _love, _I want to go home!" I shouted, angry. We've been through this whole matter before.

"But you _are _home darling." The Beldam informed me. It was a lie.

"This is no home of mine. All this is on the inside is just scraps and bits and pieces! Nothing is really what it is."

The Other Mother's button eyes glinted in fury. "I knew you were a bright child, Coraline, but I'm afraid you are trapped. There is no escape this time. If it would make you feel any better, I'll even sew little Wybie some buttons. Maybe green, perhaps brown. Would you like that?"

"Ugh!" I said in disgust. "No! I wouldn't like that at all! Wybie has nothing to do with this, you witch! Let him go! Please..."

My gaze flickered upon Wybie again. Not the slightest movement, not a sound from him. I lost all hope.

"My dearest Coraline," The Beldam said affectionately. She sauntered up and ran her needle-like hands through my hair. I shook my head and stepped away. One of her hands though...it looked battered.

One of the needles were missing! I almost smiled. Her right hand, the one Wybie and I had thrown down the well, was twitching slightly. Like it had a mind all its own. I knew what it wanted to do. Skitter off her arm and come after me.

Or Wybie, who was still laying on the floor. I mentally sighed.

_Oh Wybie._

I could tell the Other mother was getting impatient. "Well," She said, in a voice barely above a whisper. "It seems you are cornered. Surrender now, Coraline, and I won't punish you and your friend too dearly."

I saw the long pointed needle and the black spool of thread. It was going to be the end of my life. That's it. The great explorer, Coraline Jones, killed by a simple job of needlework.

I squeezed my hazel eyes shut tight, preparing for the worst, clenching my fists.

That's when I heard the shout.

I had been knocked out by something, but by who, I forgot. It's fragile how much memory counts when you're in a life or death situation.

I was _unconscious _and the Other Mother was right by me and Coraline. I saw her advancing slowly, needle and thread in silver, needle-hands.

The rest was fuzzy. Then everything was black.

My second headache that day started to rear its ugly...well, head, making my head pound like someone was hitting it with a mallet.

But, it still counts whether you're awake or unconscious during the whole event. It's like running a marathon you're sure you're going to win, but at that last stretch, a faster person runs up and passes you by, winning.

Two heads _are _better than one. But only when both are awake and aware.

We were going to die. My journal was burned, my head was aching, and my Jonesy was alone.

I was alone too. Alone and scared, even in unconsciousness.

I know how some people managed to wake themselves up when they got knocked out, but how?

Being unconscious...I had to wake up. I _had _to. For me and Coraline's sake. I struggled to wake myself up and managed to groan a little. Wow. Great progress Wybie. The most I could get was a groan and a twitch.

I tried again and this time I was able to flutter my eyes, the ceiling visible between flickers, blurry, but still visible.

At least the buttons hadn't been put in yet.

I then heard the Beldam's voice, and tried my best to listen.

"Surrender now, Coraline, and I won't punish you and your friend too dearly."

The voice echoed through my head, sending more pain to the back. Pound, pound, pound, like a dull drum.

It was the worst headache I had ever experienced, and when I tried to sit up, the pounding increased. I moaned and fell back down. Jonesy needed my help, and I had to help her. I sat up again and, quietly as I could, stumbled to my feet, shaking my head.

Dizzy, I towards the Other Mother. She had Coraline cornered, and I knew there was only one thing I could do:

I leapt on her.

I knew it was crazy.

I knew I'd probably get killed.

But it was the only thing I could think of.

Time seemed to freeze for a split second. Coraline's wide hazel eyes stared into mine before the Other Mother started to buck and spin, making me even more dizzy.

"Ugh! You little brat! Get off!" She exclaimed, reaching behind her to get me dislodged from her back.. I dodged the needle-hands best as I could, and clung on for dear life.

"R-run!" I managed to call to Coraline.

"B-but the key!" She replied.

I saw the key flash black against the Other Mother's neck as she twirled me around and around.

_Great...We're doomed._

"Get off of me! Ungrateful little..." With another jerk, the Other Mother managed to send me flying in the air. But not before I grabbed the string from her neck and pulled the key off.

I landed hard on the floor, and rolled to my feet. I stumbled and shook my head, before looking back up at the Other Mother, who was looming over me. Her eyebrows narrowed.

"Give me...the key." She hissed.

I gulped back my fear and stared at her buttons. Coraline was right behind her, waving her arms at me. The message was clear as day: _throw me the key!_

"If you want it..." I took a deep breath and raised my hand, aiming carefully. "You'll have to CATCH IT!" I threw the key over her head with all my strength, which wasn't a lot. Thankfully, she caught it with both hands and ran towards the door.

The Other Mother didn't turn around. She just stared at me, looking deep in thought about something. Then, she lashed out with one of her hands and grabbed me by the throat.

I choked. She wasn't letting me breath. I looked wide-eyed at her. "L-let me..go!" I managed, gasping and clawing at her hands.

She smiled maliciously, button eyes glinting evilly. "Now...why would I do that. Coraline wouldn't leave without you after all.

Upon hearing her name, Coraline froze, right in the middle of turning the key into the lock that was preventing her from freedom.

She turned around and gasped. "Wybie!"

I tried to shake my head. "N-no! Just...go!" I gasped.

The Other Mother looked from me to Coraline. "Really Coraline dear? You'd leave this little..." she squeezed me neck. "brat, and save yourself? How sweet."

Coraline looked from me to the door, contemplating on what to do. I wanted her to go. There was no way she was going to save me.

"G-go!" I managed again. "Go Coraline!"

I barely heard her whisper, "No."

The Other Mother frowned for a second, then smiled again. "No? Hmm...I don't think you understand what kind of situation you're in, Coraline."

Coraline's eyes flashed, they always did when an idea sprouted in her head. "You're...right. I don't know what I'm going to do. But...I feel like a game."

"A game?" The Beldam's eyes flashed, a glint. A confident smirk made it's way across her broken white face. "And what game would it be, Coraline?"

"A...A action game. A hide-and-seek game."

"Hmm...." the Other Mother thought for a minute. "Okay. How is this...hide-and-seek game going to work?"

Coraline held up the key. I paled. _Not the key Jonesy. Not the key. _

"If you can find this," Coraline made the key shine in the dim light. "Then you can keep us. Both of us."

the Other mother laughed and dropped me to the ground. I fell and gasped, trying to get my breath back. Coraline ran over and kneeled beside me.

"You okay?" She whispered.

"Y...yeah. I'm al...alright." I panted, rubbing my throat.

The Other Mother smiled up at us. "So, Coraline. Should I wait...until you hide the key?" She asked.

Coraline nodded. "Yes. Cover your eyes, too. I promise, I won't cheat if you don't." The Other mother hesitated, before covering black buttons with needle-hands.

"I'll be right back." Jonesy whispered, before nimbly running upstairs. I crawled and laid my back against the door, still breathing heavily. This was insane. Not even twelve feet from me, was a witch who could easily jump on and kill me in three seconds flat.

Why can't I ever make normal friends? Or animals?

Coraline soon came walking down the stairs slowly. The key was gone. "Okay," She said, walking and standing by me. "You can go look now."

The Beldam gave Coraline one confident glance, before slowly making her way upstairs. When her many footsteps faded, Coraline shoved me away from the door and pulled the key out of her pocket.

My mouth hung open. "Coraline..."

"Shut up Why-Were-You-born," Coraline said, hurriedly tugging the door open and pushing me inside. "Let's go!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I grabbed Coraline's hand and ran for my life, dragging her behind me.

We were halfway through the tunnel before we heard the Other Mother's angry scream of rage.

If there was anything she hated more than losing, it was cheating.

And we had cheated and escaped the witch.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took so freakin' long! D:**

**I've been a busy girl. **

**I think there's only going to be one more chapter after this, but there may be two. =)**

**I hope to update sooner. xD Enjoy.**


	13. Dear Me?

**_SLAM!_**

I watched Jonesy shut the little door, lock it with the key, and put her back against it, sighing and panting in relief. I did the same and sat next to her.

"So...I-is it over?" I asked shakily, rubbing my still-aching head.

She nodded. "Yeah...It's over now. For good."

I looked outside the window, the weather looked the same as when I got pushed down the well. In fact, it was still night. I heard a familiar noise and smiled at the skinny black cat trotting up to us, its tail held high as it dropped a dead rat at our outstretched feet.

I could've sworn the rat had buttons for eyes.

Coraline starting petting the animal, and it was purring like a motorboat. I looked at the dead rat in front of me. It was a big, grayish brown with an ugly pink tail, and sand was slipping out of two holes in its neck.

I shuddered. "Who would make something like that? That's disgusting."

Suddenly, the cat hopped away from Jonesy's grip and picked up the rat in its mouth. Giving us a blink with its blue-orb-eyes and a slight nod, it bounded off to enjoy its dinner

"He doesn't like rats at the best of times..." Coraline muttered absently.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes and punched me in the arm. "Out of it much, Wybourne?" She teased as I rubbed my arm.

I laughed nervously. "Right Jonesy. Hey, what are we going to do about the key? A-and the...y'know..."

"Well?"

"Yeah. That..."

"We can always burn the key with your blowtorch. And then roast marsh mellows with the fire."

I chuckled. "We could make s'mores! They're geat."

"That they are, Wybie. That they are."

We both stood up and I stretched my hands above my head. "What an adventure."

"What a nightmare."

I shrugged and looked around, realizing how dark it was outside."Gee Jonesy. Looks pretty late. I'd better get home and make sure Gramma's not too worried."

Coraline nodded. "You better....Wait a second!" She called. I stopped in mid stride to the door and turned around. Jonesy started walking up to me until we were feet apart, with a confident smirk on her face.

Inches apart, now.

I could literally count the little flecks of black in her hazel eyes.

"T-too...close for comfort Jonesy," I breathed.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, Wybourne." She said, and then pushed her lips against mine.

Time froze. I swear it did. We were the only ones in the world. It was our moment, and no one could take it away from us.

Not the Other Mother.

Not her evil hand.

Not even the cold black key Coraline had in her hand. The Other World- it was ours now.

* * *

I slowly made my way upstairs to my bedroom. I couldn't wake Gramma up even if I tried, so I decided to get some sleep.

I walked into my bedroom, smiling at the old white paint on the walls and the junk on the floor. _Home sweet home._

I glanced around and saw something laying on my bed.

It was green, with black, vertical stripes, with my name at the top in my loopy writing.

It was tattered, but not burnt at all. It was almost brand new. I smiled widely and picked it up. It was my journal. I flipped through the pages and heard that familiar meow again. The cat sat beside the journal, licking its paw knowingly as if saying: _You're welcome._

"Hey, you," I mumbled as the cat looked up at me. It yawned widely, revealing its long, pink tongue.

"Did you...did you find this for me?" I asked the feline. It blinked its blue eyes once. _Yes._

I scratched it behind its ear. "Good kitty..." I murmured as he purred in content.

There was one new page that I realized wasn't blank. It was at the very end of the journal and said only two words:

_Dear Wybie._

I smiled and glanced out my bedroom window. It was a full moon tonight. The stars were little pinpricks of light speckling the sky. I stuffed my journal away and made my way out of my room. I could go to sleep later. Right now, I was gonna star gaze.

* * *

Coraline stared out her window at the night sky. It was the perfect night for stargazing, and she was sure that's what Wybie was doing. She smiled at the thought of what she wrote in his journal. _How do __you like that, Wybourne? Dear you?_

She could hear the faint sound of Wybie's motorbike in the distance and decided to go out and watch the stars with him.

I folded my hands over my stomach as I watched the velvet blanket sky. I knew almost every constellation out there. I sighed in content. This really was the life. Just watching the stars, brightening up the sky like little nightlights.

It reminded me how small people really are. Compared to Earth, we're just little ants on a giant anthill.

I jumped slightly when a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Mind if I join you?"

I smiled and looked up at Jonesy. "...Stalker," I smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Let it go Wybourne." She said, sitting next to me. I sat up on my elbows.

"What're you doing out here anyway? I thought you were asleep..." I stared at her.

"Well, I figured you'd be out here, since it's the perfect night for stargazing." She informed me.

"Ohhh. Yeah..." I smiled and turned my head to look back up at the stars. "Aren't they great?"

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "The stars. Aren't they great?"

"Uhhh...I guess?"

I sighed again. "I mean, aren't they just...Magical?"

Jonesy raised an eyebrow. "Magical?" She repeated.

"Yeah! Y'know, they remind you how small we really are in the world. The sun can fit one thousand Earth's in it. That's, like, over three billion people on each Earth."

"That's some good math, Wybie," Coraline rolled her eyes and laid in the grass beside me.

"Why thank you, Caroline." I remarked, smirking. Jonesy punched me in the arm. I yelped a little and rubbed the sore muscle. "Gee, thanks. I really deserved that."

"I know you did." She replied.

We laid in silence for awhile, our eyes scanning the night sky. Soon, I was yawning. I slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off of my jacket. "Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked.

Coraline nodded, standing up, too. "Sounds like a plan, Wybie."

I started walking off before spinning around. "Hey, Jonesy, what's with this?" I questioned, pulling out my journal and showing her the _Dear Wybie. _My blue-haired friend shrugged.

"I just felt like writing it. I found it on my bed and just...wrote. Then the cat took it and gave it to you, I guess."

I nodded. That cat seemed to have a lot to do with our relationship. "Yeah...I'll, uh...See you, Coraline," I smiled as her face lit up.

"You said my name right, Wybie!" She exclaimed happily.

"You said mine right, too." I replied.

"Well..." She avoided my gaze. "You deserve to have your name said the way you want it to be for once."

I nodded slowly. "You deserve to have your name said right, too. I mean, everyone calls you Caroline..."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

I cocked my head to the side, and then smiled again. "You're crazy, Coraline." I concluded.

The girl rolled her hazel eyes. "I know. But yet, you still follow me with your stalkerish tendencies."

I sighed. _Would she ever believe me if, for the thousandth time, I told her that I wasn't a stalker? _

_No..._My subconscious told me.

_Shut up, dummy. _I told it, then turned to Jonesy and yawned. "I'll....I'll see ya, Jonesy." I muttered, walking over to my bike.

Coraline looked a little sleepy too. "Okay, g'night Wybie." She smiled.

"G'night," I replied, putting my mask on, kicking up on the petals, and riding off towards home.

Coraline smiled. "I love you, you dork." She whispered.

* * *

I sat in bed, page-flipping through my journal. There was only one blank page left. I wasn't really ready to go to sleep yet, so I looked around, found an old, black pencil, and began to write something that I had written ever since I found out I was in love.

_Dear Jonesy..._

_ **The End.**_

* * *

**A/N: Suckish ending, much? xD**

**Well. I really needed to get this story done. Sorry if it seems rushed. D: **

**I have two more story ideas, though. I think they'll turn out really good. :D**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this story! Thank for all my reviews, too! 65...Man. I love you guys. This was only my second story. Tell me what you all liked about this so much next time you review! It'll help me out next time I write. **


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